Hakubai

Location

New York City's most expensive restaurant serves kaiseki cuisine in private, brightly lighted tatami rooms. Nadaman Hakubai offers serenity and the extraordinary sense of experiencing another culture. A visit to one of this restaurant's tatami rooms is like a quick trip to Japan. Kaiseki cuisine, associated with the tea ceremony, is food for the soul as well as the body, meant to feed the eye with its beauty and the spirit with its meaning. The courses — served by kimono-clad hostesses — follow a strict order and each is intended to introduce the coming season. The way to enjoy this is to abandon yourself to the experience, appreciating the peace, the subtlety of the flavors and the sense that you are being pampered as never before. Unless you are an extremely adventurous eater, you will probably not like every dish you are served. But in spite of the occasional disappointment, each evening at the restaurant has been an immensely rewarding experience. Worth $150? Think of it this way: A trip to Japan would cost considerably more. — Ruth Reichl

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